The most popular majors at Rice University include: Computer and Information Sciences, General; Psychology, General; Mechanical Engineering; Economics, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Sport and Fitness Administration/Management; Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Cognitive Science, General; ...

Rice is often praised for its numerous quirky traditions ranging from water balloon fights to elaborate athletic events. Two of them take the prize for being the most famous, Baker 13 and Beer Bike. In the former, students run around the campus with nothing but shaving cream and shoes on certain days every month.

We are renowned for our research and academics, but you'll find that Rice is more than a place of study. It's a diverse academic community, where our exceptional faculty takes a personal interest in your intellectual growth, the quality of your education, and your future.

Rice University's motto is unconventional wisdom, and the university promotes just that.

Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Rice University is ranked #17 out of 439 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

10 Fun Facts about Rice University

• Nearly half of all Rice students are from out of state.
• The wall at the entrance of Rice's architecture building is known as the Frog Wall for the croaking frog noises it makes if you run your fingers over the holes.

Rice Engineering has a tradition of giving students a sound foundation in the fundamentals of engineering but today, those fundamentals must be augmented by experiential learning and soft skills. Learn about our academic programs.

We consider a variety of factors including the rigor of a student's coursework, academic performance, extracurricular activities and achievements, essays, and knowledge about Rice. We are careful not to emphasize any single academic metric, such as class rank, grade point average, or test scores.

Rice is an amazing place to live and learn. My class sizes are small, so I feel very connected to my professors. I have been given many opportunities both academically and socially.

Rice remains the highest rated university in Texas and the 15th highest rated private university in the country. Rice landed among the nation's top 10 universities in two other categories with its undergraduate teaching program tied for No. 6 and its biomedical engineering program ranked No. 9.

Niche's ratings recently ranked Rice No. 6 in the nation overall and No. 1 for students majoring in architecture, sports management, and kinesiology and physical therapy. This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.